Aircraft flight mode selector system

• US 6,314,343 B1
• Filed: 12/23/1999
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Adams, Don L., Crowley, Ann, Provenzano, Thomas J., Novis, Ari M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hernandez, Olga
• Application Number:
  US09/471,862
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 701/14, 701/36, 701/1, 701/4, 244/1.R, 244/75.R
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0055 with safety arrangements

Abstract

An aircraft flight mode selector assembly utilizes computer-generated menus and soft wired bezel keys to enable the use of a greater number of flight modes to be accessed in a smaller space than is presently possible with a flight mode selector consisting solely of conventional dedicated switches, switch indicator lights, and hard wired selector panel assemblies. Serial bus connections between the flight mode selector assembly and the flight control computer in the aircraft reduce the amount of wiring needed for the flight mode selector assembly, as compared to present protocol which utilizes dedicated wiring for each dedicated switch in the aircraft flight mode selector. The use of computer-generated displays and menus permits easy expansion of the flight mode selector assembly without the need to add additional switches and switch indicator lights. The inclusion of a display information look-up table in the processor controller, which table is separate from the software program in the controller, allows changes to the flight mode selector panel display to be made merely by changing the look-up table. The flight mode selector assembly also includes a pilot message display which is used to convey text messages to the pilot of the aircraft.

Claims

1. An aircraft flight mode selector system comprising:

a) a screen for displaying a plurality of general aircraft flight modes and for displaying subsidiary aircraft flight modes;

b) a plurality of first switches which are operable, when closed, to cause different first general flight modes to be displayed on said screen, said first switches also being operable, when closed, to cause a plurality of different first subsidiary flight modes to be displayed on said screen, which first subsidiary flight modes are catagories of said displayed first general flight mode;

c) a plurality of second switches which are operable, when closed, to select certain of said subsidiary flight modes for activation, said second switches also being operable, when closed, to cause said screen to display which of said subsidiary flight modes has been selected; and

d) a flight control computer operably connected to said first and second switches, said flight control computer being operable to institute changes in the flight mode of the aircraft as dictated by closure of selected ones of said first and second switches.

2. The aircraft flight mode selector system of claim 1 wherein said first and second switches are connected to said flight control computer by means of serial buses.

3. An aircraft flight mode selector system comprising:

a) a screen for displaying a plurality of general aircraft flight modes and for displaying subsidiary aircraft flight modes;

b) a plurality of first switches which are operable, when closed, to cause different first general flight modes to be displayed on said screen, said first switches also being operable, when closed, to cause a plurality of different first subsidiary flight modes to be displayed on said screen, which first subsidiary flight modes are catagories of said displayed first general flight mode;

c) a plurality of second switches which are operable, when closed, to select certain of said subsidiary flight modes for activation, said second switches also being operable, when closed, to cause said screen to display which of said subsidiary flight modes has been selected; and

d) a flight control computer operably connected to said first and second switches, said flight control computer being operable to institute changes in the flight mode of the aircraft as dictated by closure of selected ones of said first and second switches, and wherein certain of said second switches can be used to select different subsidiary flight modes, depending on which of said first switches has been closed.

4. The aircraft flight mode selector system of claim 3 wherein said first and second switches are connected to said flight control computer by means of serial buses.

5. The aircraft flight mode selector system of claim 4 further comprising an input/output controller interconnecting said first and second switches with said serial buses.

6. The aircraft flight mode selector system of claim 3 wherein said display screen includes a plurality of general flight mode fields in which selected general flight modes are displayed, and a plurality of specific flight mode fields in which available catagories of the general flight modes are displayed.

7. The aircraft flight selector of claim 6 wherein said general flight mode field displays are controlled by said first switches, and wherein said specific flight mode displays are controlled by said second switches.

8. The aircraft flight mode selector system of claim 3 wherein said second switches are soft wired bezel switches.

9. The aircraft mode selector system of claim 3 wherein said display screen further includes at least one pilot message display field whereby the flight control computer can alert an aircraft pilot of predetermined flight conditions.